It is amazing to me that it has been almost a year exactly since my last post. 2013 was a year of trials, stress, change, loss, and blessings in disguise. I will defiantly be sharing how this past year touched our lives over the next couple of months. But for now I just wanted to remind you that I’m back up and running and to share something that grabbed my attention.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner I wanted to share something I read about bringing just a hint of chivalry back. Besides being a photographer my main job on this planet is being a wife and mother. Raising boys to become gentlemen can be trying at times. I work hard to instill manners, honor, humility, kindness, to play and laugh with them, and to teach them to respect themselves and others, especially women. My oldest is just a few years away from dating and I can hope that he will take some of this advice to heart. I don’t know about you, but I love when my husband does any of the below. But for some reason when he opens my door it always it just warms my heart. That romantic part of me loves these small little gestures reminding me he’s thinking of me at that very moment. Luckily for me, my boys have great examples of men in their lives that show respect, kindness, and love to the women in their lives. I’m so grateful that my husband is one of them. I’ve attached the blog post from Michael Sama who wrote the article I loved. Tell me below what is your favorite act of chivalry and click on over to read all of Michael’s post. Just a little food for thought.

8 Acts Of Chivalry To Bring Back

The more women I talk to, the more I realize that the gentleman is a rare breed. The mission of the New Chivalry Movement is to bring men (and women) together who strive to be the best versions of themselves and love and respect those around them.

As the gentleman has become less prominent, so have the respectful acts that define him.

Here are 8 acts of chivalry we often overlook and should work to bring back.

Happy Valentine’s Day! We would love for you to meet Charleston, Charles, Charlie, Bear, and sometimes bad dog. Charlie, who is a golden doodle, has been with us for almost a year now and we love him immensely. You know that love that every time you see him you just want to squeeze him. He has won all of our hearts even dad.

I love these pictures of my kids with their dog. A daily occurrence of them rough housing snuggling and laughing with him in their room. When this was happening one day, I went to get my phone real quick and stopped myself in my tracks. Why I”m I grabbing the phone? I have a great camera and we’re not just out running errands and something funny or cute happens. I realized I had gotten in the habit of cheating myself and my family of great quality images because of convenience. I guess it’s true about the shoe cobbler’s kids except my kids have photos of them (on my phone) but how often do I take the time to get pictures of my family like I do for my clients? Then I thought when was the last time I uploaded the photos from my phone? I would be devastated if I lost it and all those memories went with it. It was right then and there I grabbed my Nikon and had a great time documenting them and their best pooch. It’s moments like this as funny as it sounds gives me little pick me of ups of creativity and love for what I do. Besides, how could I not love these pictures. They are three of the cutest subjects around and they are my heart.

Wishing you love and happiness on this Valentine’s Day! And one last thing when was the last time you uploaded the photos from your phone?

The past couple of months has been a little bit of a roller coaster for me and I knew it was time to make some changes. So, I took out my trusty, rusty, compass (who remembers Ernie’s from Sesame Street) and waited for it to tell me where to go. It told me what I already knew and it was to slow down a little in 2013. Which meant taking a leap of faith and making some changes. But I knew it was time for some new priorities and to take the time to work on some photography projects that I really wanted to concentrate on this year.

So when Amy, the editor of Ceremony Magazine, called me and asked if I wanted to do an editorial on Boudoir I jumped on it. Beauty, Glamor, Boudoir, whatever you like to call it I love making women feel beautiful. Whether the women decides to just do a beautiful portrait or if she decides to reveal a little more the results are always the same. They’ve find liberation, a self respect, self confidence, and new appreciation for themselves they didn’t have before. That is why these photographic sessions are so rewarding. Whether it is for a special someone or just for yourself something good always comes out of them.

One of the best things about this session was the wonderful women who helped make it wonderful. It may of been cold, and rainy outside but inside the suite was full of warmth and laughter. Special thanks to Tanja Lippert who did hair and make-up, Maria Chang for doing just whatever needed to be done, and Rachel Perscott from Scout Model Agency who didn’t even question what we asked her to do. The energy and excitement these women brought to the project just made it that more special and just one of the many reasons I love what I do.

Interested in setting up your own session? Just two words of advice “Do it”! You won’t regret it.

I told you there were would be more from the new 2013 Ceremony Magazine. I was happy to be working with Kathleen at Villa Montalvo again this year along side of floral designer Karen of Huckleberry Karen Designs. Her pastel palettes looked wonderful with the surroundings at Villa Montalvo Arts. My favorite was the simplicity of the lace, burlap, and baby’s breath. The linens for the shoot were from Wildflower linens. They always have amazing things to choose from. I hope these things give you a little inspiration for your big day.

We are so happy that Ceremony Magazine decided to feature Fawn and Greg’s wedding that was held at the beautiful Historic Grand Island Mansion. It was beautifully done and the tea ceremony was such a highlight of the day. This bride and groom took a lot of care in picking out all of their vendors and they were amazing. Below is the spread from the magazine and here is a link to their blog post if you would like to see more. But you should go and pick up a copy of this gorgeous magazine for more inspiration. We’ll be showing a couple more things in the next few days that we helped contribute to the magazine. It is so exciting to work with some of the best vendors and creative professionals in the San Francisco Bay area.